Candidate’s ad expenses absent from report

Local newspapers are full of advertisements plugging Republican candidate Marge Chadderdon, but her challenger questions why the payments haven’t shown up on her campaign finance reports.

Democrat Mike Gridley, who is vying against Chadderdon to represent District 4 in the Idaho House, said that Chadderdon’s latest finance report doesn’t disclose about $2,336 in advertisements that have run in the Coeur d’Alene Press between Sept. 5 and Oct. 25.

Chadderdon responded that her campaign didn’t get the bill until after Monday’s deadline for the pre-general election report. She said her campaign paid the Press $4,000 Wednesday to cover the remaining balance.

“I’ve never been deceiving,” Chadderdon said, adding that it’s “meaningless” for Gridley to bring up the question this late in the race.

Gridley said he raised the question after reviewing Chadderdon’s Oct. 25 campaign finance report and saw no payments to the Coeur d’Alene Press even though he knew her ads ran regularly.

Because the Coeur d’Alene Press requires Gridley, and other candidates he knows, to pay for advertising in advance, he figured Chadderdon had to do the same. But no payment to the Coeur d’Alene Press appeared on her last sunshine reports.

“Whether you run a small business or work with the state Legislature, details matter,” Gridley said. “And you have to follow the law. There’s no purpose for disclosure laws if you aren’t going to disclose things in a timely manner.”

Chadderdon said the Press doesn’t make her pay in advance because her family-owned business, Great Floors, (from which she is retired) has an ongoing account with the newspaper.

Paul Burke, director of advertising for Hagadone’s North Idaho newspapers, confirmed that Chadderdon, unlike some candidates, doesn’t have to pay in advance because there is an existing account.

Yet he said all candidates have to pay their advertising bills before Friday, or their spots won’t run on the three days before the election.

“They have to be caught up, no exceptions,” Burke said.

The Coeur d’Alene Press billing statements for October show that Chadderdon bought seven ads totaling $2,120.50. The Oct. 25 campaign finance report shows no payments to the Coeur d’Alene Press during this time.

The report does show a $1,580.80 payment to The Spokesman-Review for advertising. Bob Myklebust, the Spokesman’s Idaho/Valley sales and operations manager said as of Tuesday Chadderdon has run $1,307 in advertisements. Myklebust said all political candidates must pay in advance regardless of whether they have an existing account with the newspaper.

Gridley is unsure if he will file a complaint against Chadderdon with the Secretary of State but he’s still concerned that some candidates can wait longer than others to fully disclose how they are spending their war chests.

In this case, voters won’t know until after the election how much money Chadderdon, or other candidates who wait until the last minute to report expenditures, has really spent in advertising.

He said it’s plausible the newspaper could never charge a candidate for advertising – an in-kind donation that never gets publicly reported.

“That’s why disclosure is important,” Gridley said. “And that’s why I asked about this. The purpose for disclosure is so newspapers like the Press don’t give ads away and the public never knows.”

Burke said the Press doesn’t give away ads.

Chadderdon said that the Press isn’t giving her any in-kind donations and that she pays the political candidate ad rate, which is more expensive than what Great Floors pays.

“It’s all covered,” she said. “It’s a snippy little thing.”